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[March 08, 2011] (AP) Wintry weather will develop along a low pressure system that moves through the central U.S. on Tuesday.

(Click on map for larger image.)

The system that brought rain to the West Coast, snow to the Great Basin and central Rockies, continues moving eastward, reaching into the Plains and Midwest. Northward flow pulls abundant moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico, which feeds energy into this already strong system and kicks up periods of rain and snow showers. Expect heavy snow showers to develop from Nebraska and Kansas to the upper Midwest, with accumulations between 1 to 3 inches.

The southern end of this system will push a frontal boundary through the lower Mississippi River Valley. Warmer and more humid conditions across the Southeast will increase the likelihood of thunderstorm development. If storms turn severe, they will develop anywhere from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle and northward into Arkansas. Rainfall totals will range from an inch to a half-inch, with up to 2 inches likely in areas of thunderstorm development.

Farther to the east, a ridge of high pressure hovers over eastern Canada, bringing cool and dry weather to the East Coast. Expect sunny skies with highs in the 40s across New England.

Meanwhile, in the West, more rain and snow will develop across the Pacific Northwest and northern California as another trough of low pressure pushes toward the West Coast. This system brings Pacific moisture onshore but also allows for temperatures to remain mild. Thus, snow levels will remain above the foothills of the Coast Range and Cascades. Most of California will see increasingly cloudy skies as this system approaches.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Monday ranged from a morning low of minus 20 degrees at Williston, N.D., to a high of 86 degrees at Pecos, Texas.

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Online:

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National Weather Service:
http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/

Intellicast:
http://www.intellicast.com/

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]